Beonnie

A couple of days later, Vidar, Jack and I were heading towards the Prospect territory. Jack and Vidar were going to inspect the area we had at our disposal for the Gathering, and I was going to shift for the first time. I was nervous and excited. It was supposed to feel a bit painful the first time, but I was not so worried about that, more about what happened after.

We turned into the parking lot, where Zac and Dhalia waited for us outside the main pack building. I jumped out of the car with Vidar and Jack in tow, and Zac introduced us to Dhalia. I felt like I already knew her but was almost a bit starstruck when actually talking to her. She was, after all, the star of my favorite rom-com. Zac, Vidar, and Jack went down to the Gathering location, and Dhalia suggested that we walk inside the forest.

We had walked for a few minutes in silence when we came to a small clearing. Dhalia sat down on a rock, and I did the same.

"So," she smiled. "You are Zac's niece?"

I nodded.

"The infamous B," she laughed. "I should thank you, though. Our alpha has ditched Ivalde, and Tristan and I are happy together."

I smiled, cheeks flushing.

"Are you with that blonde guy, Vidar?" she gave me a curious gaze.

I smiled and shrugged.

"No, not like that. He is just too.. too.. something for me."

She laughed.

"Well, I have already been mind-linked by about a dozen of our she-wolves about him. They will be happy to hear that he is still single. Though.." she warned. "..you may feel different about him in a couple of minutes."

I gulped. I had forgotten about that.

Dhalia continued to explain what I could expect when shifting and then shifted in front of me. I followed her lead, and through excruciating pain, I felt my limbs grow longer, my claws extend, and my size expand until finally... I howled.

It was magnificent. The forest around me vibrated and the details magnified in the thousands. Everything around me was buzzing with life, even the completely dead rock had small creatures creeping on the surface, and I sensed that underneath them, ecosystems thrived. I could hear birds chirping and know the distance to them, I heard rabbits jump and the smell of deer passing by. I wanted to cry. Not because I was sad, but because I was so acutely present and my senses so on fire that it was overwhelming.

Dhalia, or her wolf, Sane, motioned for me to follow. We started to run. It was easy. As if my body knew every rock, every stone, every pebble where we ran and always found them with steadiness. The speed was never frightening, the smells never faded, and I never wanted to shift back. I could just stay like this forever. Vile could come to feed me when I got tired of hunting, and all my problems, which admittedly weren't all that many, would be gone. No one spilled soda on a wolf, did they?

The forest cleared in front of us, and we stopped at a small stretch of sandy beach by a big lake. We were not that far from where the Gathering was supposed to be, and houses and tents and a big arena were erected as we spoke, and I saw Jack, Zac, and Vidar there, amongst other werewolves. But first things first.

I took a few tentative steps out into the water and looked down. The big furry face of a blonde wolf stared back at me, and once again, the emotions got the best of me. Crying was apparently not possible as a wolf, so my happy tears came out as a loud howl causing the entire building crew at the Gathering to pause for a second, trying to locate the crazy howling wolf. Good thing blushed cheeks were not possible for a wolf either.

Ok. So now, second things second. I jumped and ran in the shallow water along the lake perimeter until I reached the Gathering location. I quickly spotted Jack and Vidar standing in an enclosed paddock on one side of what seemed to be meant as the main street, busy discussing and pointing. I supposed they were discussing where to put the tents and the lodging for all of us, and smugly I sneaked up behind them, paws not making any sound in the soft grass. I was ready to let out a growl when I could hear Jack snicker.

"Please B, your breath is not summer rain, you know," he turned around. "But you look great!"

Vidar also turned around, and I took a spin around him, sniffing him from head to toe. He smelled good. But was it good enough?

He grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"You done with your inspection there, blondie?" he grabbed my furry chin in his hand and tilted my head towards his. Eye to eye, he gave me a cocky smile. "Well, aren't you a pretty pup, little one?"

I huffed, but it came out as a low growl, unfortunately not very scary either as Vidar leaned his head backward, laughing. And since Vidar still was the best Vidar ever, I apologized by letting out a slight whine and rubbed my head against his side. He smiled and patted my fur.

"I know B," then he gave me a concerned look. "Did it hurt?"

I nodded, gave him one last rub, and then turned around.

I had been permitted to run the premises until Hild came to pick me up, and after Dhalia had shown me where my clothes were, she left, and I took off.

Hild

Vidar sent me a text telling me that all was fine with B, and I let out a sigh of relief. I started to pack my things as I had taken half the day off to pick up B at the Prospect. This was a big day for her, and I had wanted to be there for her when she shifted, but she said it was better if I came around afterward. Therefore, I would pick her up and then we would go somewhere to have dinner and celebrate. Vidar and Jack were with her, and obviously, she could go with them, but I wanted to do it, so just after lunch, I found myself on my way to uncharted territory.

I hadn't told anyone but today was also my first day without the medication to subdue my inner demons, according to the human doctors, and my inner wolf, according to my relatives. It was exciting, and Vidar's words about choosing mates and things had calmed me down a lot. I wasn't interested in finding a boyfriend, a husband, a man, and certainly not a mate, but I wanted to be able to share what my family did, and thus, it was time. 

The doctor I had spoken to about it, not the werewolf part, of course, had said that it could take weeks before the drugs were out of the system and my body had adjusted back to normal. It didn't matter though, I was not going anywhere, and there was no hurry about anything. It just felt right to stop with the medication today since it was such a werewolfy day for B. And thus, also for me.

I was let through a gate, and after a while, I reached a surprisingly full parking lot. I parked, got out of the car, and looked around. It was a beautiful spot. Not the parking lot, but the forest surrounding the area and the wooden, glassy building perfectly harmonized. It felt like a good place. The day was warm and sunny, and I took a moment to sit down on a lodge bench outside the building to just enjoy the scenery and the good thing that was now my life. I laughed to myself. Could it be that I felt a little emotional today because of B? I thought so. But life felt good, and so did I. Perfect actually.

I got up and went inside the building when I realized that I had forgotten where to go. I took a moment to admire the wooden carvings that hung on the walls in the entry hall when I heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind me. I turned around.

A man was slowly walking down the stairs, fully concentrated on a piece of paper in his hand. He was.. yes. He certainly was. I actually lost my breath for a second. He was.. for lack of a better word, magnificent. Could one really call people magnificent these days? It sounded like too much. 

My heart skipped a beat. My mouth went dry. And then I remembered that I wasn't a teenager and composed myself. His gaze drifted from the paper in his hand towards me, and it didn't do any good for my composure. Control. Control. Control.

"Hi," I waved with my hand. Did werewolves greet each other with shaking hands? I suddenly couldn't remember. He gave me a confused look. My palms went sweaty. The doctor said there could be after-effects when quitting the medication, but I didn't expect them this fast. Come to think of it, he had only mentioned a slight headache and not these fluttering sensations.

"I'm Hild Harryson. I am here to..," I started but - why was I here again?

He took two long steps toward me before he stopped. Mmm, Mr Magnificent had a nice cologne too.

"Oh. You are Hild. I'm.. uhm.. welcome to the Prospect?" he frowned at his own words.

I laughed.

"Are you sure?"

He smiled, and I suddenly felt dizzy. I grabbed the wall. He moved forward and held out his hands for me to grab if I needed it. But didn't touch.

"Are you alright? Here, sit down," he swiftly got a chair out from somewhere and put it next to where I stood. "Or better, if you follow me, we have some more comfortable chairs over here."

Again he held out his hands around me if I needed it and pointed towards a couple of leather chairs behind the stairs. It looked cooler there, so I walked over and slumped down in one of them. He followed closely behind and sat down opposite me. 

Someone came with a jug of water, two glasses, and a plate of cookies, and I understood he had mind-linked to get it here. He poured a glass to me and put it on the table, and then one to himself. I took the glass intended for me and gulped it down. It cooled my insides and bought me some time. I cleared my throat.

"I am sorry. I don't know what happened. Thanks."

He waved dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. Can I get you anything else? Do you need to lay down?"

He had a dark but warm voice. Friendly and.. familiar. He, himself, was friendly and familiar.

"No, no, I am fine. I just need a few seconds here; I just quit.." Ugh. Never mind that. He didn't need to know what a mess I was.

He leaned back in his chair, and his muscles flexed under his green shirt when he put his elbows on the armrests of the chair. Yes.

I tried to gain some normality and offered.

"This is a beautiful place."

"You sound surprised," he tilted his head.

"Well, I would have thought it to be a little rougher around the edges, and I don't know, torture chambers in the basement sort of."

"Who says we don't have that?" he gave me a crooked smile and again I felt a dizziness come over me, but composed myself.

"Heh, well, actually, I wouldn't bet against it," I put my hand over my mouth and raised the other one in apology. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have.."

"You really are Hild. Zac's sister."

The way he said my name. Soft.

Ok, Hild. Snap out of this. You can control your body even without the pills.

Someone passed us in the hallway, throwing curious glances toward me, but also their downcast eyes towards the man in front of me.

"I am," I smiled and could again see how he suddenly froze. Ah, mind-link. Again.

I tilted my head and took a better look at him while he was busy mind-linking. Brown hair, full beard, and brown eyes over the straight nose and full lips. It was a handsome man in front of me. I would say late thirties, early forties, and probably as tall, if not more, as Zac. I realized I had heard the pleasant voice before, introduced as Connor, Zac's secretary. He unfroze, and I got his attention again.

"And I know who you are," I smiled, and I'll be damned if he didn't look just a little shaken. "We spoke on the phone. You introduced yourself as Connor, Zac's secretary."

But he wasn't, was he?

I gave him a judging look. The man in front of me wasn't anyone's secretary. The man in front of me radiated something else. And at that moment, I understood. The downcast looks from the people passing were submissions. The man in front of me was cruel, rogue chasing, powerful, hardworking, protective, and heartbroken Alpha King Prospect Ben Connors.

He raised his eyes and met my gaze, gauging it like we were playing a game of chess, and I had just checked his king with my queen.

"But you are not, are you?"

A smile played on his lips. I could see he was weighing his options. He offered remi.

"Does it count if I say that I wish I was Connor, Zac's secretary?" he raised his eyebrows, waiting for my answer.

I could see why he was the alpha. I didn't know about alphas, having never met anyone before, but the natural power radiating from him was obvious. I suddenly realized something and got a knot in my gut.

"I called you an asshole, didn't I? Oh, and I am supposed to address you differently, aren't I? Like respectful or something. Maybe bow, perhaps curtsy?" I blurted out nervously. "We just formed a pack in your Prospect-thing, and you are therefore the alpha of.."

He chuckled and motioned for me to silence.

"I have a hard time seeing you curtsy to anyone, actually," he drew his hands through his hair, trying to get the one strand of hair that kept falling into his eyes in place. "Let me give you a proposal."

Gulp.

Hang on. Scratch that gulp. There would be no gulping here.

"I will let this.. lack of curtsies on your side pass if you let Connor leave in peace," he smiled and got up but motioned for me to stay sitting. "I am afraid I have to go and tend to something, but I will be back in a couple of minutes to check on you – unless Zac gets here before, I have mind-linked him telling him you are here."

I nodded, cheeks blushing a bit at my blatant ignorance of him being extremely busy.

"Thanks. Uhm, I mean thanks Mr... Magn... uhm Alpha?"

Mr.. Magn.. uhm Alpha? Really?

He gave me an amused smile.

"Ben."

And with that, he left, and I sat up, resting my elbows on my knees, hiding my face in my palms. Flustered. Sweaty. Embarrassed. Annoyed at myself for feeling flustered, sweaty, and embarrassed. And that was how Zac found me a couple of minutes later.

"Hild? Are you alright?" he slowly sat down in Ben's, Alpha's, chair and took my hand with a worried look. "Ben mind-linked and-"

"Oh, I can't stay here! Can you tell B to come right now? We need to leave!" I grabbed both his hands and gave him a pleading look, looking around as if monsters were around the corner.

"Why? What is wrong, Hild?" his eyes were full of concern, and then they narrowed. "Wait, what did he do?"

I frowned.

"Oh, he didn't do anything. He was really nice and offered water, and I don't know what. Cookies. But you could have warned me, Zac! I didn't know. I called him Mr. Magnuhm Alpha," I buried my face in my hands again.

He chuckled.

"Mr Magnum Alpha? What is that?"

"I don't know," I almost hissed it out. "I mean, he was.. and.."

"I am sure it will be fine," then he frowned. "What was I supposed to warn you about again?"

I made a circular motion with my hand over my face.

"His face. And muscles."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I continued.

"And torture chambers?!"

"Hild.."

"And the phone calls? I think I called him savage!"

"Hild!"

Only then did I notice that he was trying to get my attention, and when I finally looked up, I could see him glancing over my shoulder.

No. No. Nononononono.

"He is standing right there, isn't he?" I pinched the bridge over my nose.

"He's not, but he is on his way, so calm down."

I took his hand again.

"I quit my medicine. I think it's withdrawal symptoms," I hissed as if Zac needed to find out about that before his brother came back.

He had started to say something over my shoulder but sat back and looked at me and smiled in surprise.

"You did? That's great, Hild!" he leaned over and hugged me. "That's just great, Hild."

As I hugged him back, I could see the back of Ben Connors as he passed us and went up the stairs again. My emotional capacity stretched out thin made it almost feel like a relief to see him go.